For SpaceX, the private rocket company run by entrepreneur Elon Musk, it was a (mostly) triumphant test of a new, larger rocket designed to hoist super-sized satellites as well as equipment to the moon, Mars or other far-flung points.

Two of the Falcon Heavy’s rocket boosters— both recycled from previous launches — returned minutes after liftoff for on-the-mark touchdowns at Cape Canaveral.

“It’s kind of silly and fun, but I think that silly and fun things are important,” said the SpaceX chief who is keen to colonize Mars. “The imagery of it is something that’s going to get people excited around the world.”